The present invention relates to inflators for vehicle airbags and, more particularly, to a linear inflator which discharges inflation gas along the length of the inflator for use in side impact or head curtain airbag systems.
Typical side impact or head curtain airbag modules use one or more standard airbag inflators discharging into a distribution pipe for delivering the gas to the bag. There are pressure losses associated with gas flow through the distribution pipe, resulting in lower system efficiencies. In addition, extra space inside the vehicle is required to house the inflator portion of the devices.